Holiday Recipe: Roasted Chestnuts Two Ways

We all know about chestnuts roasting on an open fire. It goes hand in hand with Jack Frost nipping at your nose. So many people have heard this famous start to "The Christmas Song" yet in recent years it feels like roasted chestnuts have fallen out of favor, or at least off the Christmas menu in our homes. We find this really quite a shame, because they are a perfect treat for Christmas and are only in season until the end of December.

Before you rush off to the store, we must take a moment to discuss the chestnut itself. You want to choose ones that aren't externally wrinkled and have no holes in the skin (some can be as small as pinpricks). The shells should be a glossy brown color and smooth, as mottled or wrinkled shells could indicate mold. They should also be firm to the touch, and there should be no rattling when you shake them.

Today we'll show off two variations on roasted chestnuts: plain and seasoned. Both are incredibly simple recipes and are sure to be a hit.

Roasted Chestnuts Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2lb chestnuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Use a paring knife to cut a thin line across the chestnuts. The knife should pass through the shell just barely into the flesh of the nut.
3. Place the nuts in a rimmed baking dish and bake for 35 minutes.
4. Once finished, remove from oven and peel the flesh away from the shell and the papery skin.
5. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Huffington Post

Buttery Roasted Chestnuts

Ingredients

• 2lbs chestnuts
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• a pinch of ground nutmeg
• pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425F
• Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil
• Use a paring knife to cut an X into each shell, just barely into the flesh of the nut.
• Soak the nuts in a bowl of hot water for 1 minute.
• Pat the nuts dry, then place in a medium bowl.
• Add rosemary, butter, 2 teaspoons salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Toss in bowl to liberally coat each nut.
• Place chestnuts in a single layer on the baking sheet, then gather the edges of the foil around the nuts, leaving a large opening at the top.
• Roast the nuts in the oven for about 30-45 minutes, or until the shells of the nuts start to curl.
• Remove the chestnuts from the oven and toss them again with any leftover butter, then season with salt again if desired.
• Serve hot or warm.
• Enjoy!

Holiday Cider Recipe: Warming Wassail

Any fan of Christmas carols knows the song "Here We Come A-Caroling", but did you know the song originally had very different lyrics? Back in the mid 19th century, the song was called "Here We Come A-Wassailing". Wassailing, much like caroling, involved people going door to door singing. However, there was one distinct difference: they would sing in the hopes or earning a penny, a meat pie, or if they were lucky, a warm cup of wassail.

What exactly is wassail, though? The word itself means "be you in good health" and is also used as a toast to celebrate a good cider harvest. That also helps explain what a cup of wassail is: a warm, somewhat alcoholic mulled cider. Classically, this dish is also served in a wooden cup or bowl and with slices of toast. Keep reading below for our favorite wassail recipe...

Holiday Wassail Recipe

(makes about 18 servings)

Ingredients

• 2 quarts apple cider
• 1 quart cranberry juice
• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 27 whole cloves
• 15 allspice berries
• 4 (4-inch) cinnamon sticks
• 5 McIntosh apples cored
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 medium orange
• 2 cups brandy or sherry

Directions

1. Combine apple juice, cranbery juice, and brown sugar in a slow cooker.
2. Place 12 cloves, the allspice berries, and cinnamon sticks in a piece of cheesecloth, and tie closed with kitchen twine to make a pouch. Add to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375%. Stud each apple with3 of the remaining cloves and place in an 8"x8" baking pan. Add the water to the bottom to the baking pan.
4. Bake until the apples are a little tender when pierced with a knife (about 45 minutes). Remove from the oven and set aside.
5. Once the slow cooker has been cooking the mixture for 4 to 5 hours, add the apples.
6. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the orange in wide strips, avoiding the white  of the inside of the peel, and add the zest to the slow cooker.
7. Remove the spide bag and stir i nthe alcohol.
8. Serve hot, and enjoy!

Holiday Dessert Recipe: Presidential Fruitcake

A true fruitcake, unlike those purchased in the stores, is rich, moist, and smothered in brandy. Yes, that's right, brandy. The alcohol not only enhances the flavor of this dessert, but it helps preserve the treat. While the shelf-life of this dessert may be part of the joke, it's actually very true. In 2003, Jay Leno on The Tonight Show sampled an heirloom fruitcake that was baked in 1878. Yes, with proper storing this dessert can last for 125 years.

When we were looking for the perfect fruitcake recipe, we wanted to stay true to the nature of this holiday confection. It had to involve alcohol, candied fruits, and of course nuts. And that's when we found it: the perfect recipe from a small article written in The New York Times back in 1985. This fruitcake recipe has been served in the White House every year since Woodrow Wilson was in office. The White House chef, Roland Mesnier, suggests serving the fruitcake at at least room temperature, or even heating it in the microwave for one minute and adding a dollop of whipped cream before serving.

Keep reading below for our favorite fruitcake recipe...

Presidential Fruitcake Recipe

(makes 3 loaves)

Ingredients

• 15 oz. raisins
• 2 cups golden raisins
• 1 cup currants
• 10 oz mixed candied fruits
• 6 oz micture of glazed pears, peaches, apricots, figs, and dates, cut up
• 1/3 cup candied pineapple
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 4 oz slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup plus 7 tablespoons bourbon
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1/2 lb butter
• 1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• zest from 2 lemons
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 12 oz apricot preserves
• 1/2 cup rum
• 1 lb confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons softened butter

Directions

1. Combine raisins, currants, candied fruits, glazed fruits, pineapple, pecans, and almonds with 1/2 cup bourbon and the brandy in a large bowl. Refrigerate at least overnight, or if you can, up to two days.
2. Preheat oven to 350F
3. In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, sugar, honey, 1/3 cup flour, lemon zest, almond, and vanilla extracts until well blended.
4. Slowly beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is incorporated before adding the next.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 cup flour, 1 cup cake flour, salt, baking bowder, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
6. Add the flour mixture slowly to the batter, and beat until mixed.
7. Combine together the batter with the fruit and nut mixture, making sure to mix well.
8. Grease three 8.5"x4.5"x2.5" bread pans, and line the bottoms and sides  with aliminum foil. Grease the foil.
9. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the tops.
10. Bake in the oven for one hour, or until the centers spring back when lightly pressed.
11. While the cakes are baking, bring the apricot preserves to a boil in a medium saucepan. boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to reduce.
12. Remove the cakes from the oven, and while they are still hot, sprinkle with rum, then brush with the hot apricot jam.
13. Mix together 7 tablespoons bourbon with confectioners' sugar, and butter to make a frosting thin enough to spread on top of the apricot jam while the cakes are stil lwarm.
14. Cook the fruitcakes in their pans on a wire rack, and allow the frosting to dry.
15. Once the frosting has dried, remove the cakes from the pans and peel off the foil before allowing them to cool completely.
16. Wrap the fruitcackes in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
17. To serve, slice the fruitcake while chilled, then microwave for up to 1 minute and add whipped cream.
18. Enjoy!

Dessert Recipe: Cocoa Rum Balls

Why is the rum gone!?! Well it's been used to make some delicious desserts!

Rum balls make for a fantastic holiday party treat, and don't require much more work than combining the ingredients and shaping them. They have a rich, cocoa flavor mixed with that slightly sweet burn from the rum. Coat the confection in cocoa powder, sprinkles, confectioners' sugar, or our favorite: coconut! If you're worried about whether or not all the rum will evaporate out, be warned there's a good chance it won't. So for a non-alcoholic version of this treat, replace the rum with a half cup of orange juice and the zest from one orange. Keep reading below for our favorite rum balls recipe...

Cocoa Rum Balls

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about 75)
• 1 cup ground pecans
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup rum
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons water
• additional cocoa, sprinkles, confectioners' sugar, crushed vanilla wafers, or coconut for coating.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine crushed vanilla wafers, nuts, confectioners' sugar, salt and cocoa.
2. Mix in the rum and honey, then shape the dough into 1" balls and roll in the coating of your choice.
3. Store in an airtight container for 2 to three days. Roll again in the coating before serving.
4. Enjoy!

Dessert Recipe: Tea-Infused Creme Brulee

This recipe takes a slight change from the classic fare and infuses it with tea. To assist the sweetness of the dish, try using a bold, black tea like Irish Breakfast, though feel free to experiment with your own favorite. We also used vanilla extract for its ease of availability, but if you can find it, using a full vanilla bean will provide the richest flavor. If you want to make basic creme brulee instead of the tea infused version, remove the tea bags from the recipe and add an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Another note: this recipe calls for you to put a dish towel in the bottom of a baking dish and place the individual ramekins on top before partially filling the baking dish with water. This is to make sure there is water underneath the brulees as they bake, and to ensure an even distribution of temperature. Now on to the recipe! 

Tea Infused Creme Brulee

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients

• 4 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 10 bags Irish Breakfast tea, strings tied together
• 12 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8-12 teaspoons turbinado sugar.

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Combine 2 cups cream with the sugar and salt in a medium saucepan, and add the tea bags. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to make sure the sugar dissolves.
3. Once the mixture comes to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and let steep for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place a kitchen towel in the bottom of a large baking dish. Bring a kettle or large saucepan of water to boil over high heat.
5. After the cream has finished steeping, remove the tea bags and squeeze them with tongs or press into a mesh strainer to extract all the liquid.
6. Stir together the tea liquid and the remaining 2 cups cream with the steeped cream to cool down the mixture.
7. Whisk in the yolks and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
8. Whisk 1 cup of the cream mixture into the yolks until loosened and combined.
9. Repeat with the remaining cream, whisking 1 cup at a time until all is combined.
10. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or pitcher. Discard the solids in the strainer.
11. Pour or ladle the mixture into individual ramekins, dividing it evenly among them.
12. Place the ramekins in the baking dish, then carefully place the baking dish into the oven.
13. Pour the boiling water into the baking dish in the oven, being careful to not splash water into the ramekins until water reaches two-thirds the height of the ramekins.
14. Bake until the centers of the custard are just barely set and an instant-read thermometer registers 170 to 175 degrees at the center (This should take about 30-35 minutes).
15. Transfer the ramekins to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature (about 2 hours).
16. Set the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold (at least 4 hours).
17. Uncover the ramekins, then sprinkle each evenly with about 1 teaspoon of turbinado sugar.
18. Ignite a kitchen torch and caramelize the sugar. Refrigerate ramekins uncovered to re-chill about 30 minutes before serving.
19. Enjoy!

Dessert Recipe: Chocolate Truffles

If there's one recipe that's bound to scratch that chocolate craving, it's chocolate truffles. Not only are they decadent, but they are surprisingly simple to make. The simplest truffles can be made with only bitterwsweet chocolate, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. That's it.

The secret to getting the chocolate just right is the cacao percentage. You really don't want to use anything less than 62% cacao. This is a recipe of few ingredients, to the quality of what you use will absolutely determine the final quality of the dessert. I'd also recommend using organic heavy cream as well. To really increase the flavor of these truffles, we added just a little amaretto, but feel free to test out your own flavors including mint or cinnamon. For the coating we used lightly crushed Rice Krispies, but other coatings like shredded coconut, chopped nuts, or cocoa powder are absolutely delicious. Keep reading below for this decadent recipe...

Chocolate Truffles

(makes 36 servings)

Ingredients

• 8oz bittersweet chocolate, well chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Amaretto (optional)
• 8oz chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup crushed rice krispies

Directions

1. In a small, heavy saucepan bring the heavy whipping cream and amaretto to a simmer, scraping down the sides of the pan with a rubber spatula every few minutes.
2. Place the chocolate in a separate bowl, then pour the cream mixture over the chocolate. Add the vanilla and allow to stand for a few minutes before stirring smooth.
3. Allow to cool, then place the chocolate in the refrigerator for two hours. After two hours, remove and use a teaspoon to roll out balls of the chocolate. Roll in your hands quickly, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
4. When the chocolate balls are done, place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, remove from the microwave and stir in the crushed Rice Krispies.
5. Remove the chocolate ganache from the fridge and roll the balls in the melted chocolate one at a time before placing back on the baking sheet. Once all the ganache is covered, place in the refrigerator again and chill until the chocolate hardens.
6. Enjoy!